How Big Is the ESO Map?

The Elder Scrolls Online regularly gets new expansions, folding in more of Tamriel’s regions. Its size eclipses that of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and there are less arrow to the knee jokes too. But if you’re wondering just how big the Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) map is, here’s the answer.

Explaining the Big, Big Size of the ESO Map

Bethesda hasn’t officially said how big the map is, but there are few things we have to go on. First, the manual for the first Elder Scrolls game, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, states how large Tamriel is.

According to the manual, Tamriel (where the bulk of all the games take place is) is at least 3,000 km by 2,000 km. So, although it’s not exactly a rectangle, let’s say that’s 6,000,000 km square or 2,300,000 square miles. That’s roughly two-thirds the size of the United States, which, even if you factor in that not all of Tamriel is represented in-game, is pretty enormous.

However, if you’ve played the game, you’ll know it’s not remotely that big. Luckily, a YouTube channel, How Big Is the Map, went to the trouble of walking across the whole of the base game’s area.

Their last journey, which took place before the High Isle expansion, took them around five hours. Average walking speed is between 3 and 4 miles per hour, which would make the map between 15 and 20 miles across. That, in turn, suggests that the ESO map is between 225 and 400 square miles in size.

However, that doesn’t take into account other factors, such as the gradient of the land that How Big Is the Map crossed, so don’t count on that being absolutely accurate.

Is The Elder Scrolls Online Open-World?

The Elder Scrolls Online is chunked into smaller regions as opposed to having a cohesive open world. The game contains plenty of loading screens and area transitions. Some areas are also locked away as DLC.

So in summary, the answer to how big the semi-open map of ESO is, excluding the High Isle expansion, is that it’s likely between 225 and 400 square miles in size.